Market Information Services (MIS) - Theory and Practice
The main features which need to be considered if a commercially useful and sustainable MIS is to be establishe
AGS Bulletin No. 125 by Andrew W. Shepherd (FAO - 1998)
This Bulletin reviews the main issues on MIS. The Bulletin will be a valuable starting point for countries wishing to establish such services or to improve existing ones. Donor organizations and consultancy firms working in this area should also find it useful. A brief introductory chapter offers a definition of an MIS. Chapter 2 then reviews in some depth the theoretical benefits of such services. This is followed by an evaluation of experiences with MIS around the world. Chapter 4 draws conclusions from those experiences and identifies points that must be reviewed in depth prior to the establishment of a new service. These include the need to research the way the marketing system functions and identification of appropriate institutional arrangements for operation of the service, as well as collection, analysis and dissemination of the data and the choice of products and markets to be covered.
The full document can be downloaded in PDF format on FAO web site
www.fao.org/ag/ags/subjects/en/agmarket/mistheory.html